


break up with your girlfriend

by brokenlikeastitch



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, canon world juniors injury, kirby's gf kinda sucks and adam is bored, pretty much just fluff though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 18:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30026184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenlikeastitch/pseuds/brokenlikeastitch
Summary: They settled on bar stools, watching Alex cook, and Kirby stirred his coffee quietly. Adam nudged him gently, “How did yesterday go?”Kirby exhaled, frustrated, “Not great.”Face darkening, Adam leaned forward, “Explain.”“She just,” Kirby paused, trying to find the right words, “I don’t know if she doesn't fully get the gravity of the situation, how important this was to me, or what. I know she missed me, I missed her too, but I felt like he had a good chance, and I lost it. And she was all welcome back and smiles. I guess I just didn’t need that right off the bat.”Alex hummed thoughtfully, “Explain it to her.”Shaking his head, Adam cut in before Kirby could answer, “Nah, bro. She pulled this same shit during the playoffs. If she didn’t get it then, and she still hasn’t gotten it now, she probably never will.”
Relationships: Adam Boqvist/Kirby Dach
Kudos: 43





	break up with your girlfriend

**Author's Note:**

> this is not my lane whoops  
> but it is a gift for my dear friend

There was a sick feeling in Kirby’s stomach as soon as they brought him in for x-rays. He knew it was a bad sign that his wrist was that swollen and that he couldn’t lift it above his waist, but there was an optimistic part of him that thought maybe they could just wrap it up and he could keep playing.

Then he saw the pitying look on the trainer’s face and he knew. His stint as captain was over, his run for gold was over. All before it even began. His stomach sank even further when they told him the worst part, surgery required.

Kirby texted a few of his teammates in Chicago the news, his girlfriend, and his mom. Everyone was pretty sympathetic, except for his girlfriend who sent back  _ can’t wait to see you! _ Staring down at the message, frustrated, he huffed and locked his phone, not wanting to deal with it.

The trainer scheduled surgery and Kirby just nodded along, only halfway paying attention, until they mentioned sending him back to Chicago. Head shooting up, he gave them a weird look and the trainer shrugged, “Let the Hawks’ trainer get you through physio.”

Numb, he stood from the table and went to the locker room to finish gathering his stuff. The boys were in there, Bowen’s head snapping up as he walked in, “What’s the news, Cap?” 

“Bad news,” he muttered, “I’m done.” 

“What?”

Kirby sniffed, “Yeah, um, pretty bad. Surgery tomorrow and I’m headed out the next day.” 

The stunned silence stayed as he got his bag together and left the locker room, no one knowing quite what to say. It sucked and he was ready to get the fuck out of there.

-

Adam was there to pick him up from the airport in Chicago. He hadn’t really known who else to call, and his girlfriend didn’t offer, so when Adam volunteered, he said yes immediately. In the car, he gave Kirby a tight hug awkwardly over the console, and squeezed his non-injured hand.

“I know nothing I say will make this better,” he told Kirby quietly, “but I’m so proud of you and all you accomplished there. I know you’re going to feel like shit and defeated, and anytime you need someone to listen, I’m here for you, okay?” 

“Okay,” Kirby forced out, chest tight as they pulled back into Chicago traffic. 

Adam offered to help him carry his bag up, but Kirby waved him away, “I got it, thanks Boqie.” 

“Anytime,” his smile was soft, and his tone softer as Kirby closed the door and disappeared into his building.

Exhaustion, mental and physical, swept through Kirby as he stood outside his apartment door, key poised over the lock. He wanted nothing more than to be alone, to wallow for a few days before having to put on a positive face, but he knew his girlfriend would be inside, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside, stopped immediately by her pulling him into a tight hug. Pain ripped through his arm as she bumped it and he tensed, not moving while he waited for it to pass. She pulled away, giving him a weird look, and he sighed internally, just wanting to be alone.

“Kirby, what the fuck? Is everything okay? Are you mad at me?” He could hear the hurt in her voice, but he wanted, for once, for something to be about him. He walked to the bedroom and dropped his bag by the door, and he heard her follow him and braced his good hand on the counter to wait for the confrontation.

“Babe,” she tried again, “something wrong?”

He tried to smile reassuringly, but it felt so fake. He knew it was strained at the least, but she didn’t seem to pick up on it, so he answered, “I’m alright, it’s been a long few days.”

“How was your flight? Are you in pain?” she asked, pushing away from the bathroom doorway to move toward him.

Kirby’s shoulders tensed, he felt himself going back on defense as she approached him, and he forced himself to relax. It’s not her fault he tried to remind himself, but the defense felt weak. Shoulders dropping, he shrugged, “It was okay, and I’m fine. I just want to go to bed.”

“Do you think you’re hungry? I can bring you something here?” she tried, stepped back as he walked toward her to leave the bathroom.

“I’m good. Sleep is all I really want right now anyway.”

He left out that Adam brought him food to eat in the car and climbed into bed. Part of him felt bad because his girlfriend was clearly excited to see him, but she didn’t seem to care at all what he’d lost. A little sympathy was all he wanted.

“Do you need me to do anything for you while you sleep? Laundry or unpack or anything?”

She’d brought his suitcase, full of Team Canada swag, into the room, and he felt too raw to open it. To see what he wasn’t getting anymore. Chest tightening he choked out, “No, leave it. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

She gave him a weird, kind of hurt look, and Kirby turned away to start getting ready for bed. He plugged his phone into the charger, seeing a text from Adam, and chuckled.

_ Nyls wants to see you tomorrow morning. Even said he’d cook so pls say you’ll come _

His girlfriend huffed, a bit angrily, and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut, and he jumped, before looking back down at his phone.

_ I’ll be there _

Kirby was asleep by the time she walked out.

-

He woke up early, accustomed to it from the tournament, and saw a few texts from Adam and Alex asking him if he was awake, when he’d be over, and what he wanted to do. Kirby laughed, feeling lighter for the first time in days, and told them to give him 30 minutes.

He shot off a quick text to his girlfriend because he knew she always checked her phone first thing, and pocketed his keys and wallet and headed down the street to the apartment the other boys shared. He didn’t even have time to knock before Alex was throwing the door open with a loud, “Kirbs!” that echoed down the hallway and then, “Long time no see.” 

Alex was in the kitchen, apron around his waist with an exasperated look on his face, “Someone’s already had too much coffee.”

“Don’t be a stick in the mud, Nyls. I’ve had just enough.” 

Kirby laughed, “Well I’m behind, got any left?”

“Fresh pot, just for you.”

They settled on bar stools, watching Alex cook, and Kirby stirred his coffee quietly. Adam nudged him gently, “How did yesterday go?”

Kirby exhaled, frustrated, “Not great.”

Face darkening, Adam leaned forward, “Explain.” 

“She just,” Kirby paused, trying to find the right words, “I don’t know if she doesn't fully get the gravity of the situation, how important this was to me, or what. I know she missed me, I missed her too, but I felt like he had a good chance, and I lost it. And she was all welcome back and smiles. I guess I just didn’t need that right off the bat.”

Alex hummed thoughtfully, “Explain it to her.”

Shaking his head, Adam cut in before Kirby could answer, “Nah, bro. She pulled this same shit during the playoffs. If she didn’t get it then, and she still hasn’t gotten it now, she probably never will.” 

“Not growing up in this environment can make it hard for someone to understand,” Alex answered, clearly deciding to play devil’s advocate.

“I got a text from her mom,” Kirby admitted, pulling out his phone to read it to them, “please be kind, she’s really missed you.”

Even Alex was thrown for a loop, and after a few beats of silence, Adam spoke up, “Are you fucking kidding me?” 

“I wish, dude. Just give a few days to wallow and I’ll work through it, you know.”

Alex walked around the counter, drying his hands on a towel, and pulled Kirby into a tight hug, “You’re always welcome to wallow here if you need to. Now, let’s eat and we can watch something on Netflix. William told me to check out Bridgerton.”

Plates piled high from Alex’s impressive buffet, the boys spread out in the living room and started watching the show. It was quiet and gave Kirby time to mourn while basking in the comfort of two of his best friends.

They didn’t push him to talk or ask him stupid questions about how he was feeling or how his hand was. When Kirby was ready to vent, Adam paused the show and they listened, hugging Kirby when he was finished and the tears in his eyes had dried. He didn’t notice he’d stayed all day until he glanced up from his snack to see it dark.

“Shit,” he muttered, “I should probably get home.”

“Need a ride?” Adam asked, standing.

“I’m good to walk, give me some time to clear my head.”

Alex gave him a hug, ruffling his hair affectionately, “The door is always open for you Dacher, whenever you need.”

“I might stop by after physio tomorrow,” Kirby mused, “we need to finish Bridgerton.”

Adam laughed, “That we do.”

-

Kirby felt a tad guilty, he knew his girlfriend likely wanted them to spend as much time together while he was technically “off” but he’d fallen back into the pattern with Adam and Alex that they had during the season. Eating together, watching Netflix, and icing their injuries.

When he was home with his girlfriend, they carefully danced around the issue. She never brought up the first night he got back, and he never brought up how hurt he’d been by her actions twice.

Alex scolded him pretty frequently, “You have to talk to her, bro. She can’t read your mind.”

Adam usually just hugged him, “You deserve better.”

It all built until he asked about her Christmas plans during dinner. He thought she was heading home to be with her family, it had been the plan since he made the World Juniors roster, so Kirby made plans of his own. Alex promised to cook and they were going to drink eggnog and watch Christmas movies all day. 

Instead, she gave him a look, “I’m going to be here,” she paused, looking through her phone for a few seconds, “Actually, I should go to the grocery store, do you know what you’ll want to eat this year?”

Kirby wrinkled his nose, “I’m doing Christmas with Adam and Alex.”

She blinked, looking confused, “What? Why? I thought it would be obvious we’d do Christmas together since you were actually going to be here. I already cancelled on my family.” 

Her tone was patronising and Kirby bristled, how the fuck was he supposed to know, she never said anything about changed plans or cancelled flights. He thought about texting Adam, and he knew Adam would understand, but truthfully, he wanted Christmas with Adam. And Alex, he remembered to add a few seconds later.

Unthinkingly, he blurted, “That’s not my fault, I didn’t tell you to cancel your flight. I’ll even pay for another flight if you still want to go.” 

Immediately he knew it was the wrong response, her eyes narrowed, and she put her hands on her hips, “I know your situation sucks and you’ve been throwing this huge pity party since you got back, blaming everyone except the situation, but it doesn’t give you the excuse to be a dick to people who love you.” 

Which he really didn’t think he’d been doing, blaming other people at least, he’d been throwing himself a pity party, sure, but he was moving on, getting better. Before he could say anything, she kept talking, “Whatever though, I don’t care. Buy me the flight I guess since you don’t care to spend Christmas with me.” 

Kirby watched as she slammed the fridge door shut and disappeared into their bedroom, stunned. He thought about all of Alex’s words, the ‘just talk to her’ and ‘help her understand’ floating around.

Then he thought about Adam’s ‘you deserve better’ and made up his mind. Kirby grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and chugged it. Sure, he wasn’t the best communicator, but neither was she, and she’d never once tried to see things from his perspective.

Kirby thought back on changes he’d made during her finals week so she could focus because studying at the library was too distracting, flying her family out when she was sad, cancelling on team game nights to spend time with her. He’d been understanding, he’d been accommodating, and she hadn’t really tried.

Between griping about the hockey schedule and talking about how World Juniors had the most inconvenient timing, she’d never once made time to go to a game or a family skate. Which sure, hockey wasn’t for everyone, but it was his career, his livelihood, and he’d spent his entire life working to get there.

Before he realized what he was doing, Kirby walked over to the door and pushed it open. She looked up at him, eyes full of tears, and he paused, could he really break up with her on Christmas Eve. Adam’s voice echoed through his head again ‘you deserve better’ and he steeled his resolve.

“Not sure if you want to do this now, but when you get back, we need to talk.” 

She narrowed her eyes, “If you break up with me right before Christmas, I swear to god.” 

“I’m an atheist,” Kirby shrugged, “so do whatever you have to, but I am.” Her jaw dropped and he grabbed his wallet off the nightstand, “I’m going to Adam’s.”

Calling after him, Kirby barely made out her yelling, “We’re not done with this conversation,” but for all intents and purposes, they were. It was over, and Kirby finally felt good for the first time since making it back to Chicago.

Alex opened the door and pulled Kirby in, shoving a cup of cocoa into his hands, “Go sit, bud. Boqie’s asleep, I’ll go get him up.”

“I’ll get it,” Kirby told him, “no bother.”

He walked to Adam’s room and tapped lightly on the door. When Kirby didn’t get an answer, he pushed it open gently, smiling softly at the sight of his best friend passed out on top of the covers. 

Walking over, he brushed a hand through Adam’s hair, trailing it down over his cheek and down to his shoulder to shake him awake. He stirred, humming softly, and pressed his face into the pillow, “Wha?”

“Wake up, Boqie, I’m here for dinner.”

“It’s Christmas?”

“No, I’m early,” Kirby told him, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“Thought you had an airport trip.”

“We broke up.”

Adam shot up, almost slamming his head into Kirby’s chin, “What?”

“Yeah,” Kirby laughed, a little embarrassed, and rubbed his jaw, “it really wasn’t working out.” 

Blinking quickly, Adam tightened his jaw, “Thank god.”

Kirby snorted, “Damn man, I knew you didn’t like her but-”

And before he could say anything else, Adam was surging forward. Kirby was both surprised and not when Adam kissed him. It felt right, like it had been building for a while, but he wasn’t sure either of them would ever do more than repress it. 

It took a few seconds for him to start kissing back, only pulling away when breathing became necessary. Kirby touched his lips and Adam huffed, “I’ve been waiting to do that forever.”

And Kirby couldn’t do anything but nod before curling his good hand into Adam’s shirt to pull him back in. Any hurt he’d felt after his breakup was minimal and was soothed the longer Adam kissed him, hand on Kirby’s jaw to tilt his head at just the right angle. 

When they finally pulled away, Adam’s lips swollen, he smiled, “Well this was the best Christmas gift I could’ve asked for.” 

Kirby’s cheeks heated up, “Shut up.”

“It is truly a Christmas miracle. Ding dong the witch is dead.”

Kirby couldn’t stop the laughter, hand still clutching Adam’s shirt. They basked in the stillness, the joy, and the lightness. Kirby wasn’t sure he could feel any lighter than he did immediately after the breakup, but when Adam maneuvered them both to lay flat on the bed, curling into Kirby’s side, he felt like he was flying.

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on [tumblr](https://bitchell-marner.tumblr.com/) if you'd like!


End file.
